He quirked a brow at me, an amused smile spreading across his face.
“It’s as if you don’t know me at all,” he said softly, leaning closer to me. “Don’t worry. You will. Eventually you’ll know me all too well.”
An awkward pause extended between us while his face hovered near mine, an invitation—a precipice he dared me to jump from. When I dropped my gaze from his, he laughed, turning to leave the room without any further discussion.
“You coming, new girl?” he asked over his shoulder, stopping to straddle the threshold of the doorway as he did. “Leaving me to explore on my own would be ill-advised.”
Indeed, it would.
I headed toward the doorway and pushed past him to exit into the hallway. Although the opening was massive, Oz seemed to dwarf it inexplicably. Even with his wings tucked in tightly behind him, they were formidable in size. Their bulk left little room in the doorway, which forced me to push against his chest when I slid past. His eyes were forever on me when I did. The immense weight of his stare was nearly paralyzing.
Once I stepped into the hallway, I could breathe more easily. I turned to walk down the high-ceilinged yet narrow stone corridor, knowing that Oz would follow. My Dark shadow was he.
“This wing of the Underworld is for those that reside here to serve my father,” I explained, not bothering to turn and look at him. “Or those that have been ‘assigned’ to this place as punishment but are not deceased.”
While we continued onward, we passed wooden doors along the way to the rooms of those that inhabited this part of my father’s kingdom. The hall was winding, and it seemed to extend forever. There was an end, though, and it was where my room was located, right next to the library.
“This is the room I took when I would spend my six months here,” I said, opening the door and entering the vast but sparse space.
“Homey,” he said mockingly. He brushed past me to case the room and its belongings, of which there were few. “No wonder you liked the basement at the Victorian so much.”
“It was familiar,” I replied. I watched him pick up a hand mirror off a simple wooden bureau before I made my way over to his side, opening one of the drawers to procure a new top to wear. One that was not shredded in the back. “I prefer things that way.”
He looked down over his shoulder, cocking his head curiously at me.
“Your life will never be the same again, new girl. You do understand that, don’t you?”
“Perhaps.” I grabbed a plain black turtleneck out of the dresser before closing the drawer. The garment was one I often wore in the Underworld. It was soft and tight and warm. I stroked it as I walked away from Oz. It was then that the truth in his words smacked me. I was not cold. I had always been cold when I spent my time below. Now, for the first time ever, I was not.
“No, there is no ‘perhaps’ about it. Gone are the days of being in the custody of others. You are a warrior, an angel, and a vessel of the dead. Your life as you knew it is no more.” He stalked slowly toward me while he spoke, the intensity of his words and the care with which he chose them demanding my attention. And he had it. Even as I pulled the tattered remains of my shirt over my head, I could feel his eyes on my body. “I said this once before, and I maintain its veracity still. You are an impossibility, Khara. There is no other like you. There never will be. The circumstances that brought you into this world will never again be duplicated. Your uniqueness brings you power—a power you must decrypt, study, and master. It will be your ticket to that which tempts you so.”
“Precisely what is it that you think I want so ardently? I just told you that I prefer that which is familiar.” My voice was far softer than I had intended. His looming presence while I pulled the cashmere sweater over my bare torso did something to me. Something I was loath to admit.
“You forget, new girl. I have seen the truth in your eyes. Your composed and compliant demeanor belies your true desire—freedom.”
“I can have that now. I am no longer Hades’ ward, and I will never have to return to that deplorable motherly figure, Demeter, again.”
“You can never be free here,” Oz rumbled. I turned to see his narrowed eyes absorb my form. “Which reminds me. I have something I need to do.” Without another word, he hurried toward the door, pulling it closed behind him as he disappeared into the hall. Then, suddenly, his head peeked back through the doorway, a mischievous look on his face when he did. “And, new girl? Don’t wander far from your room. I’ll be back for you soon.”
Both his words and the slamming of the door that followed them jarred me out of my confusion. Whatever had possessed Oz to leave so abruptly, I knew that it could not have been good. Exhausted both physically and mentally, I made my way to my bed and sat down on it with a somewhat inelegant thud. I wanted to sleep, but my mind raced furiously, unwilling to yield to the fatigue that plagued it. I did not relish the sensation. Thoughts of the Great Hall and my father’s quick dismissal of what had transpired there, Persephone, and Oz ran through my head, mixed in with those of Deimos, my gray wings, and my absent brothers. Being away from them—my newly acquired family—felt indescribably wrong. I may not have realized it while in their presence, but something connected all of us on the most basic of levels. I felt a part of something greater when I was with them. Away from them, I felt a rift in my being—a pestering void.
Casey, Drew, Pierson, and especially Kierson—I missed them. All of them. It surprised me when I heard myself say as much out loud, my voice startling me out of my ruminations.
With my mind finally succumbing to the weariness I felt, it was not long before I found myself reclining on the bed, tired from the long journey home and the unexpected happenings that had transpired upon our arrival. Hades was taking care of those in the Great Hall, and Oz was off doing whatever it was he felt he needed to. Knowing that investigating either matter was futile, I decided to sleep. Fatigue would not benefit me in my endeavor to find out all I wanted to regarding my mother, what I was, and what could be done for Oz.
He would soon be coming back for me, and I would need my wits about me in his presence in order to override the ridiculous inclinations my body had toward him. No matter how strong the attraction I felt, I needed to keep my distance from the Dark One. Centuries of Father’s warnings could not be dismissed so easily. Danger followed in the Dark Ones’ wake.
And I no longer wished to be cannon fodder.
2
I awoke alone. Oz had not returned, despite his threat to do so. But I did not remain alone for long.
Outside my room, I could hear a man’s voice in the hall accompanied by high-pitched laughter that sounded like the tinkling of bells. Trouble was headed my way, regardless of whether or not I desired it. The approaching laughter was a testament to that.
Before I could even exit my bed, the door to my room was slowly opened, and a tiny, familiar face—one I had known for longer than I could recall—poked around the edge of it. She could not contain her enjoyment of the situation, as was evidenced by the pure elation in her expression.
“I wanted to come and see you the second I heard you were back, but I got sidetracked,” Aery said, her petite, lithe frame prancing into the room. She looked over her shoulder and shushed someone who remained behind her in the hall before continuing. Despite her size, Aery was an Underworld nymph who warranted respect. I had seen her take on and defeat more than one of Father’s warriors. It was part of the reason she was kept in the Underworld. That, and her ability to ferry its inhabitants to the world above and back. “I hope you don’t mind,” she continued, motioning to whomever she had just silenced, “but I picked up a couple of things for you, you know, as a welcome-back present.”
Just as I started across the room toward her, two other familiar faces came into the room—a welcome-back present indeed. Kierson came running at me, scooping me up in his arms the way I had grown accustomed to. Not far behind him was Casey, who wore his signature scowl. Though I tried my b
est, I could not contain my felicity at their appearance. Balancing my need to return to the Underworld for answers against my increasing desire to stay with my new family had become a source of great tension in my mind during my short time in Detroit. But now, having them in the home I had long known made my decision to return to the Underworld far more sufferable.
“I hope you don’t mind, Khara,” Aery called from behind us. “I came to your room last night and heard you talking to yourself about your brothers. I just couldn’t help myself.”
Nymphs were stereotypically a mischievous lot, but Aery took that trait to a new level. She watched my brothers and me reunite with an impish grin on her face.
“How did you know?” I asked her, wriggling free of Kierson’s grasp. The disbelief in my voice was plain. If she knew I had brothers and knew who they were, then she also knew who I was born of. That meant the secret that had been tightly kept for centuries was more exposed than I had imagined. First Deimos, now Aery: who else knew of my lineage?
Aery shrugged shyly, clasping her hands behind her back in an attempt to look innocent. It almost worked. When I scowled at her, she dropped her hands to her sides and set her shoulders back, reminding me that she was not the helpless young girl that she appeared to be.
“Deimos . . . when he returned from his search for you, I might have overheard him raging in his room one night. His rant may have included a few sordid details pertaining to you.”
“Such as?”
“Your ‘fucking PC brothers and their fucking meddling,’ ” she explained, using air quotes as she mimicked Deimos’ tone. “He also mentioned Detroit and something not going to plan, so I assumed that was where you had been. There are only a few PC warriors in that city, so I took a chance and hunted them down.” She leaned toward me, covering her mouth with the side of her hand as though to keep her next revelation between just her and me. “But don’t worry, Khara, your secret is safe with me. The boys read me the riot act when I arrived at your house. And by ‘read me the riot act’ I mean they basically flipped their shit and tried to kill me.” She smiled at my brothers in a taunting manner. “But we straightened all that out rather quickly, didn’t we, boys?” Neither brother responded.
“Then we shall not speak of this again,” I told her, my warning clear in my tone. She nodded in affirmation, her countenance serious.
“I’m so mad at you,” Kierson declared, snatching me back up into one of his monstrous embraces. It was strange to me that what had not so long ago been foreign to me felt so comforting in that moment. I had missed him—probably more than I had even realized. To show him just how much I had, I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him in return.
“I am sorry for how I departed,” I apologized softly. “I saw no other way. Not at the time.”
“You should have come to us,” he continued, a look of sadness plaguing his expression when he pushed me away enough for me to see it. “You should have come to me.”
“I knew that my actions would hurt you, Kierson. Especially you. But I needed to come home for answers,” I explained. “You are always concerned for my safety. My hope was that, by unearthing the truth of my past, there would no longer be a need to fear for me at all. Oz provided the opportunity for me to return. I saw no reason to pass it up.”
“Bat. Shit. Crazy,” Casey growled, eyeing me as though he would strike at any second.
“It is nice to see you as well, brother,” I replied, raising one of my brows slightly while I looked at him over Kierson’s shoulder. Casey could not suppress the smile my response elicited from him.
“I can’t say I approve of your choice in transportation,” he drawled, looking around the room as if searching for the Dark One.
“Sometimes we are not in a position to be choosy.”
His smile widened.
“Apparently not.”
Kierson reluctantly released me, placing me gently on the ground, and I looked over to Aery, who was still hovering near the doorway. I was uncertain if I would find her pouting in defeat, had her intentions been to start the trouble her kind is notorious for; instead, I found her beaming.
“So I did well?” she chirped, barely able to contain herself. She fidgeted with the scarf that was tied around her waist while her gaze jumped wildly from face to face, seeking approval. “They all wanted to come, but I could manage to bring only these two before you woke up.” Her gaze then fell heavily on Kierson, a wicked smile overtaking her countenance. Aery’s particular expression was far more familiar to me from my extensive time with the nymph—it was one she wore often. “That one insisted I bring him first,” she explained, pointing to my sensitive brother. “I thought he was going to kill the others if they cut in front of him.”
“I am not surprised,” I replied, stealing a glance up at him. I was rewarded with a playful grin.
“That one,” she continued with disdain now tainting her words. “I don’t know how you deal with him.” She had fixed her eyes upon Casey. “He is barely tolerable. So gloomy with his whole ‘I’m scarier than your worst nightmare’ shtick. Really, it’s been done before. You want scary, hang out around here for a while.” She leaned toward him in a conspiratorial manner. “Take notes.”
That was the Aery I remembered: flighty one moment, fierce the next. Perhaps Casey had met his match.
Casey said nothing in response, which only furthered Aery’s assessment of him.
“I must admit that I am surprised that you came, Casey, instead of Drew,” I said.
He shrugged.
“I thought I would come see what all the hype was about.” His response was aloof, but, given our previous conversation about being cast out and orphaned by his mother, I knew he had wanted to come to see the life that had been taken from him. The one he felt entitled to. His mother, Hecate, would not be far from Persephone at any given time, and she not far from my father. Casey was certain to encounter her eventually. That reunion was sure to bring about the type of chaos that would entertain Aery for years, should she be fortunate enough to be present for it. It would make for the gossip her kind thrived upon.
“And what is your assessment thus far?” I asked, already knowing what he would say in response.
“It’s dark here.”
I felt a tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“Then you should feel right at home.”
“Okay, okay,” Aery shouted, clapping her hands together excitedly. “So, tell me. Where is he? The Dark One? I’ve heard rumors. I need to see this one for myself.” She looked as though she would explode with excitement at the thought of meeting Oz. The concept baffled me.
“He seems to be absent for the moment,” I replied.
She thrust her bottom lip forward dramatically, folding her arms across her chest as she did.
“Well, I expect to meet him,” she informed me. “No hiding him from me! You know how I feel about brooding immortals.”
“I shall do my best to arrange a meeting, then,” I told her in placation. There was such a childlike quality to her at times that I could not help but wonder if she was not better suited for the likes of Kierson. Oz would certainly not entertain the possibility of bedding someone like her.
My face reddened at the thought.
“Khara?” Kierson called.
“Sorry. Yes?”
“We want you to come home,” he said solemnly, unveiling his true reason for making the journey to join me in the Underworld. It was not to visit. It was to rescue me. “Drew especially. He totally freaked out when he got that little note you left.”
“I am sorry for that, truly. I shall be sure to apologize to him when I return to the Victorian.” I felt a small pang of what I had come to know as guilt in my chest. “You did not say why he stayed behind, though. It surely had to be something of great importance if his desire was to come here instead.”
“He would have come, but when he told Sean what you had done—and let me tell you, your twin is some k
ind of pissed off at you and your unannounced trip home, too—Sean freaked out on him.” He grimaced at the memory of my twin brother’s reaction to the news of my escape to the Underworld. I knew Sean’s wrath to be quick and punishing; my chest constricted at the thought of what he might have done to Drew if he had viewed my running off in the night as Drew’s fault somehow. “It was not a pretty sight.”
“I was almost certain Sean was going to flay him alive,” Casey added. His appraisal of what occurred did little to assuage the guilt I already felt. “When the nymph showed up unannounced, Sean forbade Drew from leaving. He said he had something for him to do. Something that could redeem him and reinstate him to his position in the PC. Obviously, being the good little soldier that Drew is, he stayed.”
“And Pierson stayed because, well, he’s Pierson,” Kierson said with a shrug, as though his twin’s name was explanation enough. Having spent time with Pierson, I understood what he was saying.
“If only he had known of the library the Underworld boasts,” I added, no jest in my tone at all. My brothers were both unable to stifle their amusement.
“Talking about me again, I see,” Oz said as he walked in the room. He, too, looked amused, though I had no idea why. “And I hardly came here for the books, new girl. I think you should be aware of that by now.” He added a flirtatious wink to his sardonic comment for effect. If the response he wished to garner was unadulterated rage from both of my brothers, he elicited it. From Aery, however, he received no less than complete and utter admiration.
Her stance may have even faltered slightly in his presence.
“I see that little about him has changed, other than his fluffy new appendages,” Casey sneered, giving little more than a sideways glance at the object of his disdain. “Same old ego-driven asshole.”
“No,” Oz countered. “Not the same ego-driven asshole. An even bigger one. One that can destroy you far more efficiently than before.” That comment got Casey’s attention, and he turned his black, hate-filled eyes to the Dark One. “Care to see if I’m right?” Oz challenged.
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